now obama proposes to slow tuition grants by increasing state grants. yet he'd need congress to help fund that. >> i'm not going to promise free stuff that i know you're going to end up paying for. i want to give you a great job so you'll be able to pay it back yourself. [ applause ] >> reporter: mitt romney's plan to help students -- remove burdensome regulations and get the government out of the student loan business. romney says the flood of federal dollars just drives up tuition. molly corbett broad of the american council on education says the recession's heavy toll on state budgets is also a factor. >> when the state reduces its support, the only other place to turn for most colleges in the public sector is to increase tuition. >> reporter: either way, students like jackie feel left out in the cold. >> a lot of people who don't have students college n college or don't have kids my age think, like, you're wealthy enough to go to college, or you get financial aid from the government. it's not that simple. >> reporter: christine romans, cnn, new york